SI

Lakers Planning Cool Gesture to Fans for Luka Doncic's Debut

Doncic is listed as probable but is expected to make his debut on Monday vs. the Jazz.

Tim Capurso

Doncic reacts watching the Lakers against the Indiana Pacers.
Doncic reacts watching the Lakers against the Indiana Pacers. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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After the dust settled following the shocking blockbuster trade that sent then-Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the attention shifted to when Doncic, sidelined since Christmas Day due to a left calf strain, would return to the court for his highly-anticipated debut for the Lakers.

Well, it appears that day has arrived on Monday.

The first clue arrived when Doncic, initially listed as questionable for the contest against the Utah Jazz, was upgraded to probable. Then, a hint into the Lakers' extravagant plans for the game emerged via ESPN's Dave McMenamin, who reported that Los Angeles will be giving away Doncic's No. 77 T-shirt jersey to the fans in attendance at Crypto.com Arena.

A sneak peek into the Doncic jerseys draped on every seat was provided via the Lakers’ account on X (formerly Twitter).

If the experience of attending the debut of Doncic wasn't going to be special enough, Lakers fans will now leave with a solid souvenir.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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